Pubs That Give Their Proceeds to Charity

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These feel-good restaurants and bars donate all (yes, all) profits to charity.

These feel-good restaurants and bars donate all (yes, all) profits to charity.

Cause: The PhilanthroPub

Washington, D.C.

This 1900s rowhouse, which opened this October a few blocks from U Street, plans to split more than $100k each year among worthy organizations. How does it work? Before you pay your tab, choose from one of four charities, like Common Good City Farm, an urban farm for low-income D.C. residents, and the proceeds will benefit the project. To help boost your bill, the locally sourced menu offers snacks including trotter tots (made with pigs' trotter and potatoes), wings in Japanese cowboy sauce, and a quinoa-lentil burger. In the upstairs bar you'll find live music and cocktails—nothing like some Truth (a rye whiskey drink with apple cider, Riesling, and tarragon) to round off the night.

Robin des Bois

Montreal, Quebec

Aptly named after Robin Hood, this not-for-profit Montreal eatery is run almost entirely by volunteers and has already contributed more than $60,000 to four community-based foundations, including Le Chaînon, which has been helping women in distress since 1930s. Located on Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Robin des Bois is at a cultural crossroads, and so the melting-pot-inspired menu offers dahl soup, duck confit, wild mushroom risotto, and mujadarrah. Embrace the Merry Men spirit and get rowdy in the plate-breaking room—its sole purpose is to let you smash dishes against the wall.

Darbster

West Palm Beach, Florida

Enjoy the view from this vegan joint, which supports the Darbster Foundation—an animal welfare program that sponsors spaying and neutering, and provides pet care for low-income families. So far, it has donated almost $50,000 and helped close to 500 cats. Customers rave about heart of palm “crabcakes” with Cajun sauce. For dessert, the raw chocolate mousse (made with avocado) is certainly the cat’s meow!

The Original OKRA Charity Saloon

Houston, Texas

The members of Organized Kollaboration on Restaurant Affairs in Houston have been raising money through Peerbackers (similar to Kickstarter) for this do-gooder den. Here is how it will work: All of the bar's profits will go to a different local charity each month, and it's the bar's patrons who will decide which charity. For each drink you buy, you'll get to cast a vote for one of four nominees. The OKRA crew hasn't run a full-on nonprofit spot like this before, but they do have nightlife experience: They independently operate a few other bars in Houston, including Poison Girl, Grand Prize Bar, and Anvil Bar & Refuge.

The Oregon Public House

Portland, Oregon

After two years of planning, the Oregon Public House is scheduled to open by the end of January. Its motto is “Have a Pint, Change the World,” and it's easy for guests to live up to: Just eat, drink, and choose which local charity the proceeds from your bill will go to. The lineup of nonprofits will rotate, but OPH's early roster includes Habitat for Humanity, The Mentoring Project, Black United Fund, My Voice Music, and Compassion First which fights against sex trade. They plan to involve as many as ten in the next six months.